DES MOINES, Iowa (KCRG) – On Friday, a Polk County District Court heard arguments on whether the lawsuit against the Summit pipeline should continue in district court or be brought back to the Iowa Utilities Commission. It’s another step in a years-long legal process for the Ames-based company to build a carbon sequestration pipeline through five states including Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, and North and South Dakota. Landowners want the judge to continue reviewing the 2024 permit that allowed Summit Carbon Solutions to use eminent domain to force access for its project on private land. The project would transport carbon dioxide from ethanol plants to North Dakota for storage underground. Summit asked the court last month to send the case back to the Utilities Commission after filing changes to its original permit. Opponents say the changes are both too small for the case to be moved but also are so important that a new permit should be submitted. In South Dakota, legislators blocked the use of eminent domain. So Summit has been making changes, including new routes and pipe sizes as it tries to get the necessary legal approval. The judge did not issue an immediate ruling. A decision on jurisdiction is expected in the next few weeks.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – One person was taken to the hospital after a house fire in Cedar Rapids early Sunday morning. Cedar Rapids firefighters were called to the 1000 block of 30th Street Northeast on Sunday morning around 4:15. When they arrived, they found a single-family home on fire. Five people were in the house at the time of the fire. All escaped the fire safely; however, one was taken to a local hospital for evaluation. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
BLACK HAWK COUNTY, Iowa (KCRG) – There were multiple injuries in a Friday night crash. At around 7:10 p.m. on Friday, October 10, a Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Deputy discovered a two-car crash between a Dodge Dakota and Ford Escape while on patrol. The crash occurred near East Dunkerton Road and North Elk Run Road. Investigation into the accident revealed that the driver of a Dodge Dakota was traveling north on Elk Run Road and failed to stop at a stop sign. The Dakota was then hit by the Ford Escape that was traveling west on East Dunkerton Road. The Dodge Dakota flipped into its roof and the driver was able to crawl out of the vehicle under his own power. The driver of the Ford Escape needed to be mechanically extricated from the vehicle. The drivers were the only occupants in each of the vehicles. Both drivers were transported to local hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries. The driver of the Dodge Dakota, 35 year old Devin Lau, was cited for failure to obey a stop sign.
MARION, Iowa (KCRG) – A person died after falling from a cell tower in Marion Friday afternoon. At approximately 12:30 p.m., the Marion Fire Department responded to a report of an individual who was unconscious and bleeding after falling from a cell tower. Crews were working on the tower at the time the person fell. Others in the area of North Tenth Street began performing CPR before the fire department and ambulance arrived. The person was not able to be resuscitated and was pronounced dead at the scene. The incident is under investigation by the Marion Police Department.
